might make the purchase. But as for loving you, you don't even
believe that she loves you. She will keep your house for you; but
she will never love you. She will keep your house for you,--unless,
indeed, she should find you to be so intolerable to her, that she
should be forced to leave you. It is in that way that you will have
her,--if you are so low a thing as to be willing to take her so.'
He planned various speeches of such a nature--not intending to trust
entirely to speeches, but to proceed to some attempt at choking
afterwards if it should be necessary. Marie Bromar should not
become Adrian Urmand's wife without some effort on his part. So
resolving, he drove into the yard of the hotel at Colmar.

As soon as he entered the house Madame Faragon began to ask him
questions about the wedding. When was it to be? George thought for
a moment, and then remembered that he had not even heard the day
named.

'Why don't you answer me, George?' said the old woman angrily. 'You
must know when it's going to be.'

'I don't know that it's going to be at all,' said George.

'Not going to be at all! Why not? There is not anything wrong, is
there? Were they not betrothed? Why don't you tell me, George?'

'Yes; they were betrothed.'

'And is he crying off? I should have thought Michel Voss was the
man to strangle him if he did that.'